11 Feb., 1918.] Mi ill A (jii cultural Society Competition. 79 



6. Care and atteutiou of working horses. The use and breeding 



of horses with satisfactory pace. The making up of teams 

 so that slow horses do not beicome a drag on the rest. 

 Attention to the feeding of liorses, although, judging by 

 the appearance of those in the Nhill district, farmers there 

 have little to learn in this direction. 



7. The stimulation of a healthy spirit of rivalry and competition 



among the various workers in the field. 



The excuse for mentioning these well-known faults is to focus atten- 

 tion upon them, for in the press of work all these, and a thousand-and- 

 one other^i are apt to be overlooked. Each in itself is perhaps small, 

 but the cumulative effect of the many is considerable. Keen attention 

 to them all will enable available labour to be utilized to a surprisingly 

 better advantage, and thus cause a saving of many pounds to the farmers. 



The whole question of the profitable utilization of labour on farms in 

 Australia opens up a new and fruitful field for research. For instance, 

 a collection of work records would be invaluable, not only to districts 

 like Nhill, but also to the rest of the wheat belt of Australia. The 

 presence of representatives of the local and the metropolitan weekly press 

 during the judging will lead to wide publicity of the results, which, no 

 doubt, will stimulate the interest of farmers in the district who did not 

 compete as well as many others throughout the State. 



I have to thank the various farmers for their generous hospitality 

 tendered to me, and the ready way in which they volunteered informa- 

 tion, which was often of great value, and I take this opportunity of 

 paying a tribute to the zeal of your untiring secretary, Mr. Chac. Towns, 

 whose efficient arrangements greatly facilitated the work of judging. 



Heat Apoplexy in Pigs is generally met with in sultry or hot weather, 

 when the atmosphere is heavy or when housing conditions are not airy 

 enough. It is caused by insufficiency of oxygen, and usually occurs with 

 overfat pigs. Such an animal has very little room for lung expansion : 

 and there is only a small amount of ozone in the air during thundery 

 weather, so that sufficient oxygen does not enter the lungci to purify the 

 blood, and suffocation occurs. Drenching with cold water, and shelter 

 from the sun's rays, while allowing free exposure to the air, is the best 

 method to pursue when an attack occurs. Prevention is better, how- 

 ever, and giving access to pasture where there is shade and slielter and 

 water will usually keep the pigs healthy in summer time. The diet has 

 a good deal to do with maintaining healthy pigs in summer. The food 

 should not be a thick, solid mass, as in winter; but should be thinned 

 down with whey, skim-milk, or kitchen slops. Care should be taken 

 that all food is sweet and sound. — The Australasian. 



